


Secret of the Iris Gems

by SpaceButterflies



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragons, Eizen has to appear in every Tales story I write apparently. It is Law, Elves, Fairies, Gen, I'm writing this for fun, Magical Artifacts, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sorcerers, Swords & Sorcery, and alisha is an elf, because i can do what i want, for now everyone's friends, i've had this idea for months, mikleo's a fairy in this one you guys, relationships may change as the story progresses - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-07-29 08:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16260938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceButterflies/pseuds/SpaceButterflies
Summary: When Sorey decided to leave his home village of Elysia, he expected a few things. Meet new people, see all the places he read about in his grandfather's books, maybe even get mugged by a bandit or something.What he wasn't expecting was to be teamed up with the worlds most unlikely group of people to ever meet and race against the clock to collect the Elemental Iris Gems before the self-proclaimed Lord of Calamity can use them to thrust the world into darkness.Oh, and there's also a dragon trying to eat them.





	1. Chapter I

**Author's Note:**

> Heyooooo, I bring to you, another Tales of Zestiria AU. But this time it has elves and fairies. Please enjoy c:

"Mikleo, Mikleo!" Sorey calls out as he runs down the forest path in excitement. He has big news for his best friend and was bursting at the seams to tell him. He comes to a stop at the river, scanning the area for any sight of his friend. "Mikleo! Are you here?" he gets no answer, so he presses onward. 

He hops from stone to stone in order to reach the other side of the river. Halfway there, he loses his footing, nearly falling into the water, but he's kept upright by something pulling on the back of his shirt. He turns around to see a fairy, wings beating furiously as he pulls on his shirt, and he smiles. 

"There you are, Mikleo."

"Honestly, Sorey..." Mikleo releases him once he's sure he won't topple over. "One of these days you're going to slip, I won't be here to catch you, hit your head on a rock and then you'll end up drowning." he huffs and puts his hands on his hips. "You have to be more careful!"

Sorey rolls his eyes at his scolding. "Yes mom," he grins when Mikleo simply gives him an unamused glare. "Enough about drowning, I have great news!"

 

"You're leaving?" Mikleo asks, staring at Sorey with wide eyes. He fiddles with the hem of his tunic, wings drooping ever so slightly. 

Eyes sparkling, Sorey nods."Yeah, I'm finally old enough to head out on my own, and Gramps has no objections, and--" he pauses when he sees Mikleo's dejected demeanor. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just," Mikleo looks away, pink tinting his cheeks. "I'm happy for you." he turns and flutters over to where a group of cattails grew on the riverbank. The plant dips some under his weight when he lands on it.

They had basically known each other all their lives. They met when they were young, and spent their days reading Sorey's grandfathers books, exploring the ruins near Elysia, making castles and slaying dragons with wooden swords. Well... Sorey slew the dragons, which were typically made from water and controlled by Mikleo. 

He knew playing pretend wasn't as fun as it was when they were children, and that there would come a day when reading just wasn't enough. But... He didn't expect that day to come just yet.

"Mikleo," Sorey rises from his place underneath the oak tree and closes the distance between them. He smiles, he knows exactly what's going through his head. "I was going to ask if you wanted to come too," he smiles when Mikleo's wings flutter in excitement.

Mikleo crosses his arms and thinks. He's never left home before, and honestly, the idea never really occurred to him. Technically, he wasn't even supposed to be speaking to Sorey, let alone go on some grand adventure with him to parts unknown. He had been told all his life humans were dangerous, but... Sorey's different. He wasn't anything like the humans he'd been told about, he's safe with Sorey, he knows that. 

His wings twitch as he weighs all the pros and cons of leaving Camlann. His mother would be furious with him, but he'd get to experience new things, just like he always wanted. He has the means to defend himself, be it water manipulation or other tricks he has up his sleeves, so if a human were to try and capture him, he should be able to get away without much of a problem. He takes a breath and turns around to face Sorey. 

"Okay."

Sorey's eyes light up. "You'll come with me?"

"Yes, but only to keep you from doing something stupid and killing your--" he lets out a squeak when Sorey simply picks him up and kisses him.

"Thank you so much, Mikleo!" he kisses him again. "It wouldn't be the same without you, I promise you won't regret it!" and again.

"Let go!" the fairy shouts before bursting into laughter, pushing against the humans face. "Seriously, your breath stinks, get off!"

 

Georg Heldalf walks down the dimly lit stairwell, his cloak billowing behind him with each step. He pays no mind to his hounds as they fight over a scrap of meat at the bottom the stairs, nor to his minions that cowered as he passed them by. 

"Symonne, Lunnare," he summons his two most loyal servants by his side. "Tell me the condition of our 'guest'."

"He's stubborn," Symonne informs him, twirling her baton with one hand."It's been three days and we haven't gotten him to crack."

"It doesn't matter what we do to him," Lunnare growls. "Beating him doesn't work, Symmone's illusions _almost_ worked, but he saw through it... Torturing people isn't any fun if it doesn't break them," he complains, crossing his arms and leaning on the wall behind him.

Heldalf says nothing. He moves past the two and pushes open the large wooden cell door, watching as the man chained inside winces at the sudden light. Fresh cuts and bruises littered his body, blonde hair matted with blood and sweat, and his breathing seems to be labored.

The man steps forward, roughly seizing his prisoners face with clawlike fingers that dig into his skin, forcing him to look him in the eye. "You're strong. I respect that," he comments. "But you will tell me what it is I want to know. Now," his grip tightens, his claws digging deeper into his skin, drawing blood. "Where is the Iris Gem?"

His prisoner glares at him with defiance. "I know you're one of the keepers," he says. His eyes narrow dangerously a split second before he strikes the man."If you value your life, you will tell me where you've hidden it."

The man in chains spits up blood onto the cold stone floor. "You think making threats is enough to get the information you want?" his prisoner challenges in a raspy voice. "What more could you possibly do to me? You've beaten me, starved me, not even your little witch's illusions could work on me..." he trails off into raspy breaths. 

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to break me." Heldalf could tell he was tired, exhausted even, and yet the fire in his eyes never faltered.

Heldalf's grins in amusement, darkness swirling in the palm of his free hand. "Even the wildest of beasts can be tamed with enough patience."


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. I started another fic and got absorbed in it and I also had some writers block for this chapter. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it, and I wrote it five different times before finally finding a version that worked. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Leaves and grass crunch under Edna's boots as she trudges through the maze-like Aroundight forest. Her eyes focus on ahead, and she tightly grips her parasol in one hand and a small satchel in the other. Her dress was torn in a few places, and she was dirty, but she doesn't mind. She has more important things to worry about.

She comes to a stop when she hears the sound of two people arguing, and despite her better judgment goes to see where it was coming from. She blinks when she finds a boy holding an open map while arguing with a fairy.

"Sorey, we've passed that rock three times!" the fairy points out.

"How can you tell? We've passed dozens of rocks!" Sorey counters. He tilts his map at different angles. "But maybe we _did_ take a wrong turn somewhere..."

The fairy lets out a groan, before stiffening up when he sees her. She watches as the fairy darts into the boy's collar, earning a startled yelp from him.

"M-Mikleo?!"

"I've never seen a fairy before," she says, and Sorey nearly jumps out of his skin.

"Oh, uh... Hi, uh--" Sorey's eyes widen when he sees her appearance. "Are you okay?" he rolls up his map and approaches her. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

She shakes her head. "I'm fine. If you're heading to Ladylake, just follow the river," she points her parasol to where she came from. "All rivers lead to Ladylake, or so they say."

"Yeah," Sorey nods. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I said I'm fine," she insists, turning on her heel. She marches back to where she came, only to stop and looks back at Sorey. "Are you coming or do you plan on staying lost?"

Sorey follows her to the river bank, Mikleo has yet to come out of hiding in his shirt and it worried him, Mikleo has always been outgoing and curious, so this was a new side of him he's never seen before.

"My name's Sorey, and this is Mikleo," he chews his lip. "He's... Kind of shy, so please don't--"

"My brother told me that a few hundred years ago, humans nearly hunted them to extinction for their magic," she interjects. "So I don't really mind." she looks at him briefly before starting on ahead. "My name's Edna."

 

The doors to the chapel creak open, and Alisha quietly makes her way inside. She closes the doors behind her and presses her forehead to them, letting out an exhausted sigh. She kicks off her heels and hikes her skirt up, tucking it in her belt. She hates wearing dresses, but today called for it, so she had no other choice.

With a relieved sigh, feeling the cool tile on her aching bare feet, she approaches the altar. She closes her eyes and joins her hands together in a quick prayer. The doors open once more and she whirls around, half expecting one of the guards to come to collect her and take her back home. But instead, it's a woman who smiles at her upon seeing her.

"I see you've come to escape for a little bit?" she asks, picking up the shoes and setting them to the side.

"Yes, I hope I'm not intruding on anything, Lady Lailah."

"Nonsense," Lailah smiles and approaches her at the altar. "I always enjoy your company, Princess." she puts a hand to her cheek. "Oh, but I wish I knew beforehand, I would have made us some tea and cookies."

Alisha smiles. "It's okay, I won't be here for too long." she steps away from the altar. "I just needed someplace quiet to clear my head." her face darkens and she presses her lips into a thin line. "There are rumors of the village near Aifread's Hunting Grounds falling to a calamity overnight. Nothing's been confirmed just yet, but none of our scouts have returned either."

Lailah links her fingers together, her stomach tying in a knot as she glances at the floor. "I'll be sure to pray for them," she says, watching as the Princess slips back into her shoes. She puts on a smile. "Next time you come by, I'll make us some tea and we can talk more."

Alisha smiles and nods. "Yes, of course, I'll bring the cookies." she pulls her skirt free from her belt and bows before Lailah. "Have a nice night, Lady Lailah."

"You as well, Princess." Lailah watches Alisha leave with a smile on her face. 

The smile vanishing the moment the doors are closed. She turns on her heel, speed walking to the altar where she presses a brick on the wall behind it. The floor opens to reveal a staircase and she descends. With an incantation, a small flame forming in her palm to light her way as her heels click on the stone.

Lailah comes to a halt, finding the glowing Iris Gem safely upon its pedestal. Just as it should be. The flame in her hand goes out and she takes the Gem from its pedestal, the heat radiating from it warming her hands. She pulls it to her chest and closes her eyes. 

"Please let them be safe,"

 

Mikleo stares at Edna from the safety of Sorey's pack. He's never seen another human this close before, but he wasn't too keen on making friends. Honestly, Sorey was far too trusting sometimes.

His wings twitch when his eyes land on the girl's satchel. It almost seems to be glowing, but he plays it off on the sunlight shining off the buckle. Pushing himself out of the pack, he flutters up and tugs on Sorey's ear, pulling him to a stop.

"Ow-- What was that for?"

"This girl, how are you so sure we can trust her?' he demands in a whisper. "All we know about her is her name."

"Well, I don't feel like I shouldn't trust her," he responds in an equally hushed tone. "Besides, we can't just leave her out here alone, Mikleo. She's like twelve."

"I didn't say we should leave her, I'm just telling you to be careful."

"I know you're just looking out for me, but I really don't think she'll hurt us." he gives the fairy a reassuring smile. "It'll be okay. I promise."

Mikleo lets out a small sigh and lands on Sorey's shoulder, folding his wings. "Alright, Sorey."

"Everything okay?" Edna asks once Sorey catches up with her.

"Yeah, everything's fine."

"Good," she opens her parasol and twirls it. "By the way. I'm thirteen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mikleo and Sorey meet Edna, we meet Alisha and Lailah.
> 
> Hopefully next update we'll meet new characters! Stay tuned!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, Happy New Year!  
> Sorry for taking so long to update again. I got caught up in another project and the Holidays got in the way, and... Yeah.

It's late at night, the moon shining brightly in the night sky as Sorey pokes at a small campfire. He yawns into his hand before laying down and staring up at the stars. He turns his head, looking at his pack where Mikleo slept within it, smiling at the way the fairy was mumbling in his sleep. 

He turns his head to the other side, finding Edna tightly holding onto her satchel as she slept. He frowns. She's in some sort of trouble, even if she won't admit it. He turns away to look back at the moon and the stars. The sounds of crickets and the crackling fire make him drowsy, but not tired enough to sleep just yet. He was far too anxious to sleep, come noon tomorrow they'll arrive in Ladylake, and there's so much he's excited to see and do. But he couldn't do anything tomorrow if he stays up all night.

His fingers twitch towards his pack, itching to pull his book out from it, but he forces himself not to as it would no doubt wake Mikleo, and Mikleo gets cranky if you wake him up. So instead, he takes to finding the constellations, using his finger to draw them out until he finally dozes off.

 

A boy stands alone in an open field. He looks around, there's nothing but grass as far as the eye could see. It was quiet, the only sound he could hear was that of his own breathing. He turns around the long grass rustling with his movement.

"Hello?" he calls, voice echoing. "Is anyone there?"

Everything around him suddenly becomes dark, the moon in the sky turning blood red. The wind grows harsh, and heavy rain falls from the sky. The ground beneath the boy cracks when a large beast appears before him, a ring of fire ignites despite the rain, trapping them both. 

The boy falls back and gazes up at the creature, a dragon with a lions head, snarling at him and bearing its large fangs. Five orbs, glowing in red, yellow, green, blue and purple, circle the beasts head as it slowly closes in on the boy.

With a deafening roar, the creature lunges for him.

 

Lailah's eyes snap open and she bolts upright in bed, panting heavily as her hair falls into her face. She clutches the blanket close to her chest with one hand, using the other to push her hair back, a few strands sticking to the sweat on her brow. 

With a shaky sigh, she tells her self; "It was just a nightmare..."

 

Edna heaves a sigh as Sorey bounces on his heels at her side. They've only just passed the gates to the city and already he was bursting at the seams with excitement. She sees Mikleo poke his head out from his pack, violet eyes sparkling just as much as Sorey's.

"I've never seen so many people before," Sorey gawks. "Or such a big city!"

"Is your village really that small?"

"Elysia has a population of maybe three hundred people," he answers. "All we really have there is a church and a lot of farms. It's not the ideal place for someone who wants to be a scholar. That's why we're traveling, right Mikleo?"

Mikleo nods, his wings twitching as if he were trying to fly but not allowing himself to. He sinks into the pack with a frustrated groan. "I want to _explore_ but there are so many humans around..."

"Well, you can look at everything from my pack? Or you can hide in my shirt like you used to in Elysia?"

A whine escapes the fairy. "No, it's not the same..." his wings stand up straight suddenly. "That's it!"

 

Sorey and Edna stand in the entrance of an alley. Edna opens her parasol to prevent anyone from looking around them as Mikleo flutters from Sorey's pack. The brunette's eyebrows furrow as Mikleo murmurs to himself as he flutters in a circle before stilling.

"Mikleo what are you--"

"Shh, I need to concentrate." Mikleo takes a breath and cites an incantation in a language Sorey's never heard before. 

Sorey watches as a bright blue light surrounds the fairy, eyes widening as he grows in size until he's just a head shorter than he is. His mouth falls open when Mikleo lands on his feet, fixing his shirt and smiling at him.

"So, what do you think?"

"It's a good disguise but your eyes are a dead giveaway that you're not human," Edna states as Sorey sputters and Mikleo puts a hand to his face. "But, your wings are hidden, so people might just assume you're part elf or something."

"You can _do that?_ " Sorey finally manages to get out in a high pitched tone.

"Most fairies can, Sorey." Mikleo answers in a 'this is common knowledge' tone.

"Then why haven't you done it before?"

"I haven't needed to,"

"Not even when you were almost _eaten_ by a dog?"

"I didn't know how to do it then!"

Edna snorts. "You were almost eaten by a dog?"

"It's how we met, but you can just _shapeshift?_ "

"Sorey, I can manipulate water, talk to certain animals, and fly, but this is somehow surprising?"

Sorey takes a breath, calming himself. "It does make sense that you're able to do it... But none of the books I've read said that fairies could shapeshift," 

"Of course not, if people knew they could they'd only be hunted again," Edna says. "It's common sense." she twirls her parasol. "Now can we get going? I have to visit the chapel." she turns on her heal, the doll hanging from her parasol hitting Sorey's arm, and walks off.

"But I have more questions," Sorey says. His face heats up when Mikleo takes him by the wrist and pulls him along.

"I'll answer as much as I can after we've found an inn for the night, okay?" the fairy smiles at him.

"But I--" Sorey gives a defeated sigh. "Alright."

 

Alisha looks over her shoulder when the chapel doors open and three people walk in. She closes her book and stands up quickly. She lets out a relieved sigh when she sees it's not any guards or someone from the castle to come and collect her.

She smooths out her skirt as the blonde haired girl approaches her. "Is Lailah here?" she asks, looking up at her with serious blue eyes.

"Actually she's--" before she can finish, the doors open once again and this time its Lailah that steps inside with a basket on her arm. "She's just returned." Alisha smiles.

Lailah blinks in surprise. She sees Sorey and dread quickly washes over her, but she chases it away. "Goodness, so many guests today," she smiles brightly. Her eyes then land on Mikleo and she gasps, quickly closes the gap between them and cupping his face. 

"You've gotten so _big_ since I last saw you!" she beams. The tips of ears twitch a moment later and she gives him a skeptical look. "Does your mother know you're here?"

"Actually yes, and she wanted me to give you this," he pulls an envelope from his tunic. "It's a new recipe she came up with, she says you might like it. But, that's not why we're here." he nods his head to Edna.

Lailah looks from the envelope to Edna, eyes widening. "Oh dear," she steps up to her. "Are you alright, Edna?" her eyes fall on the girl's satchel and her eyebrows knit together. She then turns to the other three people in the room. "Please excuse us for a moment," she leads Edna from the room and down the hall. 

Once inside Lailah's bedroom, she closes the door and Edna sits on the bed. "What happened?"

"All I can tell you is that my brother woke me up and told me to bring you this," she opens her satchel and presents the orb within it. "He said someone was after it, and that I had to get it to you before it fell into his hands."

Lailah takes it from her and bites her lip. "He knows could happen when they're brought together, that's why we keep them separated," she takes a breath as she thinks of the nightmare she had, watching as the Iris Gem lets off a soft yellow light. 

"I'll contact Zaveid and Muse," she says finally. "And we'll find your brother, but for now we must hide this."

"Can I keep it with me?" Edna requests. "I know it's risky but I know how to handle it, and this way we know it's safe at all times."

Lailah hesitates. It is risky, but Edna had traveled all this way with it, and with no trouble, so it should be alright. She gives her a nod and returns it to her. "Edna?"

"He's okay... Right?" Edna's voice wavers and Lailah places her hands on her shoulders.

"Your brother is a fighter, and one of the most stubborn men I know," she smiles softly. "I'm positive he's okay."

 

"Eat," Heldalf commands as he holds a piece of bread to his prisoner. His eyes narrow when the man refuses. "You're no use to me half dead, now eat."

"Master," Simone enters the small dark room. She eyes the man chained up inside, taking delight at the expressionless look he had on his face before turning her attention back to Heldalf. "We've located the Iris Gem," 

Heldalf eyes lock on her, the way his prisoner stiffens not going unnoticed. "Is that right?"

Simone nods. "One of my scouts found it with some brat, it would have attacked but she met with some human and a fairy."

"A fairy?" Heldalf hums. "I thought they had gone extinct. But enough of that, where was the girl heading?"

"Ladylake,"

Heldalf waves the girl away, turning back to the man in chains. "I told you, all you've done is delay the inevitable. What's more is this little plan of yours lead me directly to one of the other gems." he smiles and pats his head as if petting a dog. "Good boy."

"If you touch her, I swear I will rip you limb from limb."

An amused smile forms on the mans face. "Oh, but I won't be the one to collect the Iris Gems," he fists his hand into blonde hair and forces his prisoner to look up at him. 

"You are."


End file.
